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How to Read Your Bible

What is the Bible all about, and how can a person read it correctly? Why are there so many different books in Scripture, and how do they relate to one another? On this episode of White Horse Inn, we introduce our new series: How to Read Your Bible. Instead of a more general approach, we’ll actually dive into the biblical text by introducing and summarizing the Pentateuch. What is the purpose and message of these five books? What was God’s promise to Abraham, and how did it differ from the covenant made at Mt. Sinai? We’ll look at these questions and more as we kick off our new series.

If the Five Books of Moses can be summarized as Israel’s constitution, how are we to think about the history books that follow? What is the meaning and purpose of the book of Joshua or Judges? How are the genealogies or battle scenes of the ancient Israelites relevant for Christians living today? Questions like these are important as we think about correctly interpreting and faithfully applying the Bible in contemporary life.

What are we to make of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament? Are these writings solely concerned with ethics and practical matters? How about the prophetic writings? Why were they included in Scripture, and how should we interpret these texts? On this program we unpack these issues as we continue our series, How to Read Your Bible.

What is the Bible all about? Though this may sound like a basic question, it’s actually one that many people overlook in our day. It’s common in Christian circles today for pastors and Bible study leaders to lose sight of the forest for the trees. In other words, we need to better see how all the books of the Bible fit together and proclaim one big overarching narrative. That’s the focus of this edition of White Horse Inn as we continue our series on reading the Bible.

How do the Old and New Testaments fit together? Throughout this series we’ve observed that the Bible is not merely a collection of timeless eternal principles, but a historical drama which pushes through the centuries toward climax and resolution. In the New Testament we find ourselves at the climax. The stage has been set. Finally we’ve arrived at the new covenant in which we begin to see the dawn of redeeming grace!

What is covenant theology and why is it crucial for our overall understanding of Scripture? How does covenant theology relate to our understanding of law and gospel? What is the difference between the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants? On this edition of White Horse Inn, we discuss these important questions with Mike Brown and Zach Keele, authors of Sacred Bond: Covenant Theology Explored (originally aired Nov 11, 2012).

The Bible isn’t actually a single book, but rather a library of sixty-six different texts, each with its own set of interpretive rules. Some of these books are historical narratives, while others are poetry or wisdom literature, and others are doctrinal expositions. How can we be sensitive to these different genres as we prepare to read and interpret the “library” of Scripture? That’s our topic as we continue the series, How to Read Your Bible.

What’s wrong with thinking of the Bible as a self-help book, and why do so many Christians seem to approach the Scriptures this way? Why is it wrong to think of the Bible as a book of ethics and morality tales? What are some common mistakes that people make when interpreting Scripture? On this program we will introduce the top ten rules for proper biblical interpretation as we continue our series, How to Read Your Bible.

Many of us have memorized Bible verses, but we often remain ignorant of the larger context from which these verses originate. We often lose the forest for the trees. We’ve all heard interpretations of Scripture that reduce the meaning of a text to a kind of spiritual allegory. What are the problems with these ways of interacting with Scripture? We will address these issues and more as we conclude our discussion of the top ten rules of proper biblical interpretation.

WHO WE ARE

We are a group of Christians with a God-given passion to know and make known the glories of our crucified and risen Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the One through whom the God of all grace loved us, sought us, saved us, and called us out of the darkness of our sin into His marvelous light. As an ill-deserving people saved by the grace of God, from the wrath of God, and for the glory of God, Grace Community Church exists to joyfully exalt and magnify the Triune God, to faithfully proclaim the Christ-centered message of the Old and New Testaments, to build each other up by speaking the truth in love, and to bring the good news of the gospel to our city and world so that the Lamb who was slain may receive the full reward for His sufferings.

REJOICE WITH TREMBLING

I’LL BE HONEST

JUSTIFICATION & REGENERATION

What is Biblical Christianity all about? Why did Jesus Christ die? What is the gospel? What is man's ultimate and only problem? How can a sinner be right with a sinless, holy God? What must a person do to be saved? What does it mean to be justified? Why does the Bible teach that we stand in desperate need of justification? How can a righteous God "justify the ungodly” without becoming unjust? What does it actually mean to be born again?

No Savior Like Christ!

There is no Savior like Christ. Sin is inventive; itself the greatest invention of all. It is Satan’s infernal machine for destroying precious souls by the million! In nothing is his ingenuity and power more put forth than in constructing expedients of salvation other than the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. But Jesus is the one and only Savior of men; “neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” It is the glory of Christ’s salvation that it is perfectly adapted to every condition of our fallen and helpless humanity. Christianity is the only religion that fully recognizes the natural and utter depravity of our nature, and our consequent impotence to save ourselves. Jesus, therefore, is the Savior of sinners. He has undertaken to save us just as we are. He finds us a ruin, and recreates us; he finds us fallen, and raises us up; he finds us guilty, and he cleanses us; he finds us condemned, and he justifies us– all our salvation is in him. All the merit God requires, all the help man needs, all the grace and strength our salvation demands, dwells in infinite fullness in Christ.